What are problem-solving courts?
The Census of Problem-Solving Courts (CPSC) identified problem-solving courts as having an exclusive...  Read More

Do problem-solving courts work?
The report does not evaluate the success of problem-solving courts. The survey collected data on suc...  Read More

Did the survey examine juvenile and adult courts separately?
The report includes juvenile and adults in some analyses, but the data included juvenile drug courts...  Read More

How was the survey conducted?
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) served as the data collection agent for BJS. State-level...  Read More

How do I get paper copies of older reports that are not on your webpage?
You no longer have to order paper copies of BJS reports released prior to 1995. More than 450 BJS pu...  Read More

How are the terms "adjudicated as a mental defective" and "committed to a mental institution" defined?
Section 922(g)(4), Title 18, United States Code, prohibits the receipt or possession of firearms by ...  Read More

What does the NICS Improvement Act do?
FOR STATES: The NICS Improvement Act has provisions that require states to meet specified goals for ...  Read More

What types of data does the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collect on prosecutors?
The Prosecutors in State Courts statistical series began in 1990. The series focuses on the nation's...  Read More

What types of general civil cases are disposed of by bench or jury trial?
Results from the Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 2005, show that 61% of civil cases concluded ...  Read More

How many persons are arrested or charged with felony crimes in the U.S.?
This is a question the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) frequently receives and unfortunately cann...  Read More

How often do plaintiffs win in general civil trials?
Overall, plaintiffs won in 56% of all tort and contract trials in 2005. The rate of plaintiff succes...  Read More

How many general civil, tort, contract, and real property cases are concluded annually by bench or jury trial?
The 2005 Civil Justice Survey of State Courts (CJSSC) shows that about 26,950 tort, contact, an...  Read More

Why are there so many different counts for those under correctional supervision?
As with any specialized field, criminal justice has specific terms to convey specific ideas. Persons...  Read More

How many persons in the U.S. have ever been convicted of a felony?
This is a question the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) frequently receives and, unfortunately, ca...  Read More

How have state court prosecutors' offices changed over the years?
Staffing and budget increases experienced by state court prosecutors' offices in the 1990s generally...  Read More

How many persons were convicted of a felony in my state last year?
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) does not have conviction and sentencing information by state....  Read More

What type of new offenses are prosecutors encountering?
In addition to felony criminal matters, prosecutors’ offices handled a variety of other case t...  Read More

What is the primary problem prosecutors' offices encounter in recruiting and retaining staff?
In 2005, 24% of prosecutors’ offices reported problems recruiting new staff, and 35% had probl...  Read More

How high are the damage awards for plaintiffs who prevail in general civil trials?
In 2005 estimated $6 billion in compensatory and punitive damages was awarded to plaintiffs who won ...  Read More

What percentage of felony convictions were the result of a guilty plea?
Of the estimated 1,079,000 felons convicted in state courts in 2004, the vast majority (95%) of thos...  Read More

Can I order a poster version of "What is the sequence of events in the criminal justice system?"
The "What is the sequence of events in the criminal justice system?" flowchart summarizes ...  Read More

What are the authorized purposes for use of grant funds under the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act?
FOR STATE AND TRIBAL GOVERMENTS: Section 103 of the Act, regarding implementation assistance to the ...  Read More

Doesn't the federal government already have a program to improve automation for information used for firearm eligibility checks?
The Brady Act recognizes the need to automate state record systems that contribute most of the relev...  Read More